Vocal Coach reacts to Focus - Hocus Pocus (Thijs van Leer Live '73)
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Vocal Coach reacts reaction to Focus - Hocus Pocus (Thijs van Leer Live '73)
Original Video: âą Focus - Hocus Pocus Li...
I hope this video helps you understand your voice and what you can do to grow as a singer
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So my dad Thijs van Leer wrote you guys this and asked me to post it:
âš
Thanx 4 your heart-warming & beautiful comment on Hocus Pocus by Focus !
Love U forever ...
Let me tell U that Focus
travels the world and keeps on Yodelling !! đ”đ”đ”đ”đ”đ”đ”
Hugs from Thijs van Leer ( founder member of FOCUS )
âš
Love, BELLA VAN LEER
âŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïžâŁïž
This song was done at my request (thank you Beth!) and this comment ^ is the most awesome thing ever!
I had no Idea these guys were still together,let alone still touring.This is one of the coolest,heaviest songs to come out of the 70s.
How does your dad feel about the song being in Baby Driver?
@@johnschuler4816 I also requested it
Beth did I not say it would be hilarious
Incredible music from so long ago, and still has such relevance and power. Iâve loved Focus all my life, and I love this opportunity to express my appreciation â€ïž
Kid: "What were the 1970s like?"
Me: "Focus, Hocus Pocus, live in 1973."
Kid: "That was the entire 1970s?!"
Me: "No. Sometimes it also got weird..."
speed rock before there was speed rock !!
Ha!
indeed!!
đđ
Priceless
Haha!! Thijs, thatâs my dad! Iâll make sure to show this to him, heâll be so honored and flattered when he sees thisđ
Thank you, love!!
âŁïž
Is it? Tell him itâs awesome and to drop me and message. Iâd love to say hi! x
Beth Roars iâve just sent the link to him, iâll keep you postedđ
He's really your dad? Well tell him there's a guy in UK who was a teenager back in the 70's who was well into Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Deep Purple, Led Zep who bought Focus 3 when it first came out and listened to nothing else for 6 months. Tell him, thank you, he made my life so much better.
he's amazing!
andy stokes iâll forward this mssg to him right nowđ
Heâll appreciate it!
I just heard that this live version is particularly special because Hocus Pocus is normally a 6 minute song but Midnight Special told them they only had 4 minutes airtime. The bands response was: let's speed it up & see if we can cram the whole 6 minutes in to 4 minutes! This might clarify the facial expressions of Thijs getting psyched up to play at hyper speed.
Great factoid, thanks
@@devodavis6747 The Midnight Special was a unique rock only crowd, yet this crowd gave one of the few Midnight Special standing ovations, for Focus.
@@jayjanyh2932 And on the same night that Gladys Knight and the Pips, BB King and Earth Wind and Fire were on the bill. Wow! What a lineup.
Please don't say hocus pocus, it's a slur against Jesus. In Latin, " This is my Body" translates " Hoc es Corpus Meum" and back in the day God's enemies made up the word Hocus Pocus to make fun on His Last Supper.
@@auniversalwoman Hocus Pocus.
Why is nobody ever talking about that damn guitarist! He is a god
Jan akkerman
@@Wefkebidenberg thanks
Indeed and still a guitar God
And Jan is even better now in 2021 one of the best period
@@claytongillaspy8847 oh really?⊠links?
Jan Akkerman is one of the best guitarists I've ever heard. He is grossly underrated.
HĂ© was considered '' God " in Holland at that time . HĂ© was the best , hĂš was next to Eric Clapton a guitarhero !
He was a far better player than Clapton ever dreamed.
Not in the Netherlands đ
The story behind this whole performance is incredible. The song has a set length. They were told they couldnât use that time and had to cut it. So they just bumped up the bpm and crammed the whole song in.
They invented speed metal.
@@johnpauljones9310 And speed yodel!
Focus is one of the most underrated bands ever.
I miss hearing them played on the radio, but all the stations play 80's and up now. đ
Furt đš
I agree but that could be seen a good thing.
@@R.M.MacFru Luckily our main classic rock station still plays Hocus Pocus occasionally, but you're right, back home Z93 used to play this song constantly.
They are underrated yeah , but they are known ... now modern prog bands are REALLY underrated, almost invisible, there are a lot of great bands some made songs that are as good as some classics , and nobody knows them ... really sad
"Maybe he's warming up his voice".....or the LSD is kicking in.
Absolutely.
...yeah I'm gonna go with that explanation.
@@timhutchinson8485 Whatever the circumstances, it was clearly not easy to perform it so fast
Jesus, beer just came out my nose lmfao
Kelly Rushing ouch...
Apparently, they sped up the song to avoid having to cut it to fit the time slot that they were allowed...
A shame really, it's much nicer at the regular pace.
@@leorcc This the best version! So much more energy.
they had like 4 minutes
tbh, I thought they'd just taken a tonne of speed or something hahah
yeah kinda sounds like "proto" thrash metal ,sped up.
I love Focus! They came to my highschool way back when and gave a demonstration, after which they opened up for Q&A, a teacher said âthat was lovely but why do you have to use those horrible amplifiers?â Something my parents also always complained about. So Thijs Said â good question, letâs turn off the amps and show youâ so they plaid their hearts out and all you could hear was the drums. Case closed. Teachers looking thoughtful, we pupils laughing our heads off. Thank you Beth for bringing those memories back
Beth: What's he going to do next? No one knows!
Those of us who have known this song all our lives: Oh, we know...just wait.
Yeah some of us remember when this was new!
When you have 4 minutes to play a 7 minute song...
ikr, the studio version is way slower. they had a tight scedule and they killed it.
@Dude Honest lol, i just coincidentally watched this actual video last night and ran across this today and i was about to say she sniped that comment for meaningless youtube updoots
I heard this version first, and prefer it! They absolutely nailed this, and the world is a better place for it.
That explains a lot
I was gonna' say... the tempo was a LITTLE EXTREME! : )
I definitely prefer the less-insane studio version...
I met Thijs van Leer at a Focus concert in my home town a few months ago. He is so kind & down to earth. He can't go this high with singing anymore, but is still just as good on his instruments. Lovely guy.
Whitchurch?
@@TH-ds2yx Oss, The Netherlands
I saw him a couple of years ago in North Wales. Such a nice guy!
I didnât speak to him in Southampton last time they were there but he was very approachable.
He's 70 or 71, no one really expects guys his age to go to the same range he went 40+ years back.
Focus were not always crazy. They had a No. 1 hit across Europe with the beautiful instrumental âSylviaâ.
Loved that song!!!
3:38 "That was just using loads of consonants."
Well, he _is_ Dutch...
âLoads of consonantsâ isnât typical for Dutch.
@@RayyMusik That's what it sounds like to non-Dutch.
@@RayyMusik But you can use a lot of consonants in a row in Dutch. An (extreme) example would be "angstschreeuw", which has seven consonants in a row.
svennie pennie Same in German: Angstschrei. So still not typical Dutch. :)
@@RayyMusik âI never said it was typical. Nor does something have to be exclusive to be typical.
I was mostly just pointing out that "loads of consonants" is a thing in Dutch sometimes. Another, even better, example is "slechtstschrijvend" which has a whopping nine consecutive consonants.
1:08 "That's so 70's, I love it"
Oh, just wait until it gets so 70's that there's nothing like it in the 70's.
My guitarist friend told me that Jan Akkerman was doing stuff that was not at all common back then. Like the guy was doing techniques that weren't popular until the next decade or something. I don't play guitar, but his playing sure looks impressive even today.
In an era where I was obsessed with Jimmy Page, Richie Blackmore, and Hendrix, Jan Akkerman completely blew my mind. Very different from Holdsworth, but comparable in the kind of "WTF IS HE DOING?" reactions among guitarist listeners. His post-Focus solo work is, unfortunately, uneven, though I recommend 10,000 Clowns on a Rainy Day as a great career overview live set.
Yes, there are many amazing things about this performance but the most amazing might be that it was 1973.
Akkerman is top class and up there with the best đđ
@@docbobster In the 70s it was Akkerman, Steve Howe and Robert Fripp who routiney blew people's minds.
@@brianjlevine Yep, you just named my 3 guitar heroes back then...and now.
This drummer needs more recognition. This song gets carried by the drums and guitar, then they hand off back and forth. Very cool
Focus was a unique band that helped spearhead the whole genre of progressive rock back in the 70's. Jan Akkerman was considered one of the very best rock guitarists as well (and really, was an original 'shredder' in his own right), that garnered much respect around the world by rock fans. It was a fantastic, mind expanding era for free form creativity, spawning influential artists that are still revered today, and stand the test of time!
This is probably the most 70's prog rock song ever produced. I love it.
Close To The Edge would like a word with you.
Check out Court of the Crimson King or Careful With That Axe Eugene
Fine example of Controlled madness. that and many hours just entertaining self to learn what you can do and how to control it. I am having fun learning throat singing and rotary breathing.
Controlled madness is a great description.
3:18 has no words but still sounds Dutch.
I never laughed so much at Beths reaction ..she didnât have a clue whatâs coming :)
Oh wow, this is faster and crazier than the studio version!
Yes., they only got a small time slot on the show... so what do you do ? They sped up the song ! :-) It's insane to do so, maybe some drugs was involved, but whatever it was, hugely talented !
@@autohmae And funnily enough, this version is superiour to the studio version.
"You have 4 minutes to play a 7 minute song."
"Fetch us our cocaine."
@@autohmae tremendous chops although there is another dutch band from the same era, finch, which could play faster.
Ok Focus, you think you can squeeze that song in under 5 minutes?... Sure, hold my Grolsch.
Proof that Beth has no clue what she's getting into until she's here with us.
Obviously, unless she actually knows the song.
Which is my point
@@choochoochooseyou
Well, you didn't mention, so I thought I do ; )
Irony đ
Wanna hear the TRUTH, They where askes to cut a 7 minute song into 3 minutes, They being a Boss didn't cut it but fast forwarded like a boss
"You can see the madness in his soul." This is one of the finest and most incredibly literate reaction comments I have ever heard, well done Beth!
I just really really wish the cameras could have shown the faces of the audience as this classic proceeded to unfold. It would have been priceless!!
oh man, Beth had no idea what she was in for - seeing her reaction was so fun, wholesome, and priceless!
Beth, laughing: this is amazing! I can't even...
*proceeds to give helpful and intelligent technical breakdown of the vocals while simultaneously teaching us mortals how to sing AND appreciating the music at the same time*
That's what I love about these videos. Seeing the technical breakdown is extremely interesting and adds a level of appreciation for what's going on beyond "this sounds nice."
I'd love to see Beth do Nightwish's performance of Stargazer at Tampere. It'd be a side of Floor she hasn't seen yet and I'd love to see Beth's commentary on it.
@@MrPopoGod I'm sorry, but I am perplexed by your name... are you her slave or is she your slave or are ypu merely saying she is a slave? None of the above?
1:10
"He's psyching himself up with some twitchy face"
"Or maybe he's warming up his face muscles"
That's quite naive for someone inside the music world đ
I think it may be turret's.
@@edp5886 i know its the effects of a boatload of cocaine
I cant watch this without smiling or bursting out in laughter, thanks Focus. You are outstanding!
I am literally crying with laughter at Beth's reaction to the falsetto. Not all 70s music was the Bay City Rollers (thankfully). Thank you so much for your analysis, Beth.
Beths face when the singes starts to yoddle đđđ Priceless!!!
Brilliant vid! The shock is real on Bethâs face.
Hocus Pocus by Focus... I've never forgotten this song since it first came out. People here loved it, and I still do.
And then he pulls out a flute! :0
This one time.. at band camp..
Shocked to see this here. Thanks to you and the requester.
This song... is The sound of the 70's going absolutely mental. I love it.
Hocus Pocus by Focus was recorded in 1971, the same year I was born. It wasn't released in American until 1973. I've literally enjoyed this song all of my life! I thank Beth Roars and Focus for sharing this with the World!
Beth's eyes when he started yodeling..
Thjis' eyes when he *himself* started yodelling
And her WTF?? Expression on her face is priceless, when he starts the dik dik dik dik speaking in the second verse.
I was a kid when this song came out and i was blown away! Years later catching this live version on youtube floored me. Freaky deaky Dutch!
From the time Akkerman was God, and Clapton just was a very distant angel in guitar heaven.
You're not kidding. I'm racking my brain trying to think of another rock guitarist that was doing sweeps this early. I can't think of any
Uh, this is from 1973 (though the song was released in '71). Clapton had already been a guitar hero for years and played on nearly 20 albums by this time.
@@kingbrutusxxvi and he got schooled by Jan. Clapton wasn't a God anymore.
@@tmage23 check out some old clips of Les Paul (the guitarist, not the Gibson guitar). Seeing a dude doing sweeps and stuff in black and white is trippy.
@@kingbrutusxxvi I am not going to write down what Jan Akkerman thinks of the "guitar skills" of Eric Clapton, but it's not very positive. But Eric earns a lot of money being an average guitarist, so he must do something good.
Beth, I happened upon your channel just while bumming about. I am a retired foundry worker, but also a former professional sax player. I was born in 1960, so I will be 60 this month. And I grew up with a lot of this music. I remember Focus quite well. I played in a rock band, mostly saxes and a little guitar. But I didn't sing, because my voice is so bad. Just from this one video, I learned more about how to sing, via your comments on how the different vocal sounds are made, I wish I was back in our band again.
I definitely have done some background singing when playing guitar. And I plan on searching out your podcast, also. Very good comments, and you are a very perceptive listener. To understand that the chaos that the song sounded like really had direction and intent to it, as well as a very strong band behind the singer, takes someone who really understands not only vocals, but just music in general. Glad to have found you.
Not gonna lie. Focus make me proud to be Dutch :) Great musicians. Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman. I love Thijs his energy!
Like tulips, windmills, and stroopewafels, Focus is DUTCH!!!
Dear Beth you're not only a great teacher, you're also so charming and lovely, your smile is so moving.
Christophe MARTINEAU, Glad Iâm not the only one who noticed. She is adorable.
@MichaelKingsfordGray INCEL ALERT!!
I saw Thijs play the flute just 5 days ago in the Ayreon show âInto the Electric Castleâ live with the original artists. Magnificent. He is a great artist.
I love this version of this song. It's like the producers of Midnight Special said, "Hey guys, I know the song is 8 minutes long, but you've only got 4. Make it count!"
Thijs brings a whole new meaning to, whistle đ while you work.
Seeing Thijs' response was amazing! Seen Focus twice in a tiny football club function room, once with my Dad, who has been a fan since the beginning! Such intimate experience seeing them live... and there's more to them than Hocus Pocus, too!
Hocus Focus ROCKS!!
EDIT: When you have four minutes to do a seven minute song this is the result!!!
I can't think of a better song for a vocal coach than this one.
OMG that was adorable at 3:39 when she tried the sounds.
Uff... Beth... Me alegra tanto que te guste esta gran banda holandesa, Focus, con las dos megaestrellas: Thijs Van Leer (Voces, Teclados y Flauta) y Jan Ackerman (Guitarras). Esta cancion es, my pillow song, the soundtrack of my youth. Thanx for the uploading & sharing. Saludos desde la preciosisima bahĂa de Tampa, Florida. đžđ¶đđ
Oh my God Jan Akkermann, so F*cking good on that guitar, absolute one of the best ever
Again, welcome to my teen years! Focus was great!! This was huge back then and I still enjoy it.
Beth's face as she listened to Thyjs Van Leer's yoddeleing was priceless!
This version especially, sped up from the studio version, always struck me as punk rock as hell.
He was psyching himself up, and doing facial/vocal warms in preparation for this amazing performance!
That is one of the craziest songs everâŠalways loved it.
Complete madness designed to the excess with full throttle expression. This is probably my personal best piece of music that I have ever listened to. Not for easy listening or every moments grace but for the moments worth being remembered.
I grew up listening to this on a 7â vinyl that belonged to my older sister! This version is so much faster than the studio versions, but itâs always entertaining!
This is the great thing about progressive rock, they move around their music, explore a lot of sounds and speeds, master their instruments, they were genius.
"You can see the madness in his soul." How true!
I can see beth react to anything and i gona love it, and love her
This is the BEST reaction video. EVER.
4 of the most underrated musicians EVER , Each a true genius with their instruments , And it was a joy to see them live almost 50 years ago at the Glasgow Apollo
your smile,charm, and energy keep me coming back! i love your videos!
Nice to hear a proffesional looking into this. Thank you, Beth. Thijs can do everthing with his voice. Thijs is known as a classical musician.
The fact that they played their almost 7 minutes song in 4,5 minutes because they didn't have more time like that still amazes me to this day.
"It's like Anchorman"
*Ian Anderson screaming in the background*
Guggz yes she must do Tull
Was thinking the same thing! Our girl NEEDS to hear some Jethro Tull!
This is almost at double speed. They were given not much time so they just speed up all to get the complete song done. Real masters
OMG, I listened to your reaction to Child in Time and for some reason I immediately thought of this song based on your reaction. Sure enough I scroll down through recommended and your reaction to this is everything I expected! đđ
This live version ended up being played at a much faster speed than on the album. The result, as you can see, is absolutely brilliant
Two prog rock songs in a row? Wow! I was worried there wouldn't be enough vocals in the song, but there really was. Great!
My dear sister Carol was the band majorette for our high school she did a routine to this song during halftime of a football game back in â75.
The Midnight Special channel recently released a better quality video straight from the source tape, which includes a piece missing here where he yodels for an extended period of time until he's completely out of breath.
Definitely worth checking out, a long with all of the other treasures they've been releasing.
This may be your most adorable reaction yet! Love your videos!
This guys are just insane, they play soooooo freaking well.
That guitarist is RIPPING the shit out of that LP. MADNESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I love this channel!
I just knew that you would love this song! Itâs complete organised chaos with an insane level of technique.
"You can see the madness in his soul!"
Came here from your The Hu-video and I love your channel! Your reactions are beautiful!
And HOW I enjoyed listening! Hocus Pocus has been a must for me to play at parties for so many decades. One of the songs that everybody enjoys. Like Gamma Ray by Birthcontrol or D'yer mak 'er by Led Zeppelin. All those iconic songs. Nutrocker by Emerson,Lake and Palmer would also be one of them. I could fill pages with that list.
From one of the comments below on another reaction I just came across "Bent Knee". I took that advice and listened to "Holy ghost", first. Showed it to my workmate, next day. This band has 2 new fans, now. We both where instantly blown away.
Thjis Van Leer studied classical Organ back in his native Holland as a child and then studied flute later (Like Ann Wilson of Heart who is/was a great flute player). His vocal range seemed to be a tad higher than tenor and could easily reach an alto voicing. He wrote a tune called Hamburger Concierto - mostly and instrumental - that highlights his vocal range as he mocks an opera during the middle of the song imitating the soprano vocalaist and the bass vocalist... all tongue-in-cheek.
I've never heard anyone cover this song well probably because no one could cover this song well. The talent here cannot be overstated.
Thank you for this! Takes me back to when they were one of my favourite groups - never heard them playing Hocus Pocus that fast, though! (I still have the Moving Waves and Focus 3 LPs somewhere tucked away - this has made me want to listen to them again!)
FINALLY!...I always waited for your Reaction to Focus !.....I
Your videos bring me joy. Thank you!
Your giddiness is awesome. It shows exactly how I feel every time I hear this song.
Focus: "How much music you want in your music"?
Listeners: "Yes"?
Focus definitely is my favorite Band.
Those guys are amazing, I can't express.
I accidentally met these guys in a restaurant in the UK, they are amazing!
It's fun when Beth gets SO amused and excited.
Hooo!!! Amazing reaction as always hahaha!!!
One thing to know, if i remember correctly too, is that this song usually is a bit slower on the tempo and have a lenght of 6 minute 41 second i think, but they were asked to play (on this set) under 5 minutes (played in 4 min 50 second in this video). So that's why they kinda "rush" the song on it.
They are amaaaazing musicians however hahaha.
I always wondered why this version was so fast. I presumed from his face it was a ton of speed. :D
@@Warlock_UK cocain could have been involved in the process too hahahaha.
I suspect they were indeed tripping balls.
They never used harddrugs.
Awesome Beth! You are on a great roll. Great bands you are reacting to lately. Keep going đ€đ€đ€đ€đ€ Cheers from Canada đšđŠ
"you can see the madness in his soul". heartwarming and perceptive comment. great song. wonderful front man. love all of this.
Thank God that you made that reaction video. Priceless song
THIS IS STILL THE BEST BAND I HAVE EVER HEARD,IN THAT TIME,AND NEVER AFTER!! FANTASTIC JAN AKKERMAN AND THIJS VON LEER,AND DRUMMER IS FANTASTIC! I WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN PLAYING!! THAT IS MASTERPIECE!!
Never clicked on a reaction video so quick :) I knew you'd love it.
The look of amazement and excitement in your eyes makes watching this worth it.
I remembering it comming out. just a youngster but still the most awesome number. thanx alot thijs and band. mozart would have been proud of you. he was also a naughty boy.